Come Buy! Come Buy!
by LadyBonBon
Summary: What an odd fellow, Belle would later think after having met him. How odd, indeed, that he would set up a stall in the middle of the market and yet have no goods to sell or trade other than a curious pomegranate. Come buy! Come Buy! Were the shouts she would hear, and so she did.


_**Come buy! Come buy!**_

It didn't matter if she was a princess here, which was why she came. It didn't' matter that she had a station to uphold, had a father who was of the highest power, had guards and knights watching over her all the time, or had suitors of all sizes knocking on her castle's door. The only thing that did matter is that she had money, which she did. They didn't recognize her, and if they did they said nothing. They merely shouted out their goods and the passerby would come forward and skim over the products that were on display.

Belle pulled the hood of her cloak over her head before standing at the edge of the Market waiting for her friend. Emilia was a kind, shy girl, one of Belle's father's military captain's daughters and was around the same age as Belle if not a little bit younger. She was a pretty young woman with golden hair that bounced into curls and beautiful green eyes that lit up with excitement at each little thing. Belle envied her slightly, but was not one to complain about her own looks. Brown hair that bounced with a slight curl (nowhere near the same as Emilia's) and blue eyes; she was a beauty to behold-her father always said so.

Emilia came with her own hooded cloak smiling exuberantly and bouncing on the balls of her petite feet with excitement. The Market was an adventure the two enjoyed tackling at least once every few weeks to see the latest goods and trinkets that many merchants obtained as their livelihoods. They were allowed this luxury without the need for guards, which her father greatly considered.

"Oh, Belle, are you as excited as I am?" She asked this of Belle each time they prepared for a trip out to the Market. Her smile lit up her face and Belle's followed along with it.

"I'm always excited," Belle said to her. The girls giggled and made their way into the town and then towards the King's Market.

It was bustling with activity. Men, women, and children pittered here and there in an effort to haggle and shop while also selling their own goods at a price they deemed fair. Belle and Emilia dodged dirty children that chased each other around the stalls while Belle smiled at their antics. Cries from the merchants could be heard.

"Fresh fish! Fresh cod!" A fisherman cried out. "Caught this early morn'! Best you'd ever find this side of the mountain!" Many older wives ventured out to his stand to see the fish he had layed out before him in hopes of preparing a nice meal for their families. The girls spared a slight glance at the fish with their mouths open agape, but did not stop to shop.

"Best produce from the orchards!" A young maiden called out. She smiled kindly to the ones who passed and called out for any to venture and see her selection. Belle stopped and gazed upon pears and apples and bananas and oranges and lemons and a variety of other fruits all of which were ripe and ready to be eaten. Belle grabbed an apple, paid the young woman with a silver coin, and went on to the next stall. Emilia had left her, not interested in fruits so it seemed, and had disappeared in the dense fog of people. Belle was not worried for her friend, as she had done this often, and merely continued on to the next stand. A young boy came up and stared at her with large doe eyes, grasping her dress almost pleadingly. His face was dirtied and his clothes were tattered, but that was to be expected. Feeling pity for the small child, Belle took out the apple and handed it out to him. His large eyes became larger, and with quick movements snatched the apple from her hand and ran off less she change her mind and take it back from him.

The next stand seemed to be popular with the younger members of the town. It was a wood carving stand with beautifully crafted cravings littering his table stand. Belle was intrigued by the beautiful things as were many children by the looks of them all crowded around the man's stand. Belle's eyes first came to a carved figurine of an owl perched atop a tree branch. Its wings were outstretched as if it were about to take flight right off the very branch it was carved on. Her eyes went to the next one, a carving of a knight holding his sword high above his head in a battle stance. The detailing was exquisite.

The next carving was the one that stood out from all the others the most. While each carving was different, this one was far more so than the others. It was beautiful by means that it was expertly carved but the figure that had been carved was terribly ugly. A short squatty thing stood grimacing with large pointed teeth and large ears and a long pointed tail. It was a hideous creature.

"I see ya like the goblin, eh?" The old man behind the stand smiled at her showing his rotten teeth; Belle smiled back at him.

"Goblin, good sir?" She picked the figurine up and turned it over. "What is a goblin?" The figurine's ugly face sneered at her and she found it oddly adorable.

"Just a bunch a ugly little things that are up to no good!" He laughed hoarsely, "always tryin' to get young wimen, such as yaself, to go an buy their food and offerings of promises and deals. Nasty little things."

Belle smiled, "but they seem so small." She held up the figure for him to see. "How can something this small be such trouble?"

The old man grinned at her again before swatting at a young child's hand that got too grabby with one of his carvings. "Small things usually cause the most damage." He then waved her closer and Belle obliged, leaning over the stall while being mindful of the carved figures. "Most of the time they're working for someone." Belle tilted her head confused. "Oh ya," he said, "usually by a sorcerer or somethin'." He cackled loudly and leaned back in his chair.

Belle turned the figure over in her hands. The wood was smooth under her gentle touch. "How much for the figure, good sir?"

The old man tapped at his boney chin in thought while he hummed. "Well, for a purty young lady such as yourself, I suppose two silver coins would do the trick." He might have thought he was pulling a fast one on her by asking for two for his ugliest piece, but Belle didn't mind. She had more than enough, and she really did like the little carved figurine.

Belle dug out two silver coins and handed them to the man who chuckled with glee. She took her prize with her as she went to find her friend who had wandered off. Belle passed stands of linens with old haggard looking women shouting out about their products.

"Come feel these fine linens," they shouted. "Come see! Come see!"

Belle ignored them in favor of finding her friend who seemed to be lost among the crowd. Belle walked amongst the stalls her brilliant blue eyes searching the faces of the people hoping that she'd spot her friend amongst the mix. She kept walking, her long cloak following her on the ground.

"Excuse me, Dearie!" A voice called out. It was high in pitch and seemed to drown out all the others. It was light and airy and Belle turned to see a cloaked man waving at her from behind an empty stall. Belle looked confused and then pointed at herself. The cloaked man nodded energetically and motioned her closer.

"Yes, good sir." She smiled at him though she was uncomfortable.

"_Good_?" The man laughed loudly and wiggled a finger at her. "I can assure you, Dearie, that I am not good." He grinned, "You seem to be searching for something, dear, what could that be I wonder."

Belle nodded, "My friend. We came here together and I seem to have lost her in the crowd." She smiled so sweetly at him, "maybe you have seen her? She has golden—."

"I _have_ seen your friend," he giggled at her. "She was just at my shop inquiring over my goods."

Belle glanced down at the man's stand with confusion etched into her face. There were no goods on the man's stand. It was barren of anything other than the wood it was made from.

"But you have no goods, sir."

The man giggled again as if he were a small child. "That's not entirely correct, Dearie." His hands came together and his fingers wiggled as one. "You see, from time to time I set up shop in local markets and offer my services to those in need. You, my dear, are in desperate need, as was your friend."

Belle shook her head slowly, "I wouldn't say I'm in desperate need." She cocked an eyebrow at the strange man who laughed so strangely. "I'm sure I can find her on my own."

The man tsked at her while wagging a finger. He was an odd fellow and, though he appeared as any normal man she might meet, there was something different about this man that talked with such energy and excitement yet seemed to have an ominous aura about him.

"I'm sure you would, Dearie; I'm not trying to insult your prowess for finding those that are lost." He giggled again, "I am merely pointing out that it would go a lot faster if you were to allow me the luxury of pointing you in the right direction."

Belle's brow furrowed, "And what would you ask for in return? Money? I don't have much left on me at the moment." She gave her small satchel a little pat.

The man waved off the idea, "Nothing too fancy, Dearie." He grinned and his eyes seemed to light up with an oddly inhuman quality. He let out a giggle. "I am expanding my horizons, dear, and I have yet to have someone give me an honest opinion." He reach inside his cloak and procured a pomegranate in the palm of his hand. It was a beautiful reddish color and seemed to be ripe.

"You just want me to try the pomegranate seeds?" Belle looked incredulously at the fruit in his hand. "You are a farmer of pomegranates?"

The man laughed at her and held out the fruit. "In a way," he grinned deviously. "I am merely looking for some feedback on the way my fruit grows." He tossed it to her and she caught it quickly; the fruit bounced about in her hands and she fumbled to keep it from falling to the ground. "You need not eat it now, Dearie, just report back to me with your opinion."

"And you'll be here?" That same confused look came back to her face. "Wouldn't you have moved on?"

"I shall be here even if you come the next month or the next," he clapped his hands together. "Now, Dearie, about your friend."

"Oh, yes, please!"

He waved a hand to the right and there, as if she had appeared by magic, was Emilia standing over a stand picking through the knick knacks that littered it. Her blonde, curled hair bounced as she haggled with the old woman running the stand.

"She wasn't there this whole time, was she?" Belle's eyes strayed from her friend and made their way back to the man's. He merely grinned and waved her over towards her friend.

"Go on, Dearie, and do remember to let me know how the fruit is." His eyes twinkled, "You will, won't you, Dear?"

Belle nodded at him, gave him a smile, and then made her way over to her friend who was holding up a small doll.

"Look, Belle!" She shoved the straw doll at Belle for the woman to see. "Got it for just a silver, isn't it cute." Emilia gushed over her newly acquired straw doll. "Did you find anything?"

Belle looked down at the small goblin figure that was clenched in her hands and showed it to her friend. Emilia frowned at the sight of it.

"Oh, ew." She wrinkled her nose, "Why waste good silver on something so ugly, Belle?" She giggled and picked up the small, wooden goblin. "It's a very hideous looking little thing even if it is well crafted." She turned it over before handing it back.

Belle took the figure back and gave a small smile, "He's not hideous; he's interesting."Her friend said nothing to this as they walked past the stands. After a moment, Emilia noticed the pomegranate in her friend's other hand and gave a groan of relief.

"Oh, I'm starving," she said eyeing the fruit. "Are you going to eat it all?"

Belle looked down at the fruit in her hand and then back at her friend. "No. If you are really that hungry, you eat it." She thought about the strange man in the booth and of his eagerness of having her try his beloved fruit. "Just let me know how it is."

Emilia took the fruit and pulled it into two pieces, exposing the rich, juice filled seeds on the inside. She dug in with a ravenous hunger and with an unlady like air that Belle had never seen her friend do before. They made their way from the market and towards the castle gates with Emilia still shoveling the seeds into her mouth. Belle supposed that the fruit that the man had supplied was good, and she would make a point of letting him know and maybe procure some for herself.

* * *

The man watched with a frown and a roll of his bright eyes as the girl's _friend_ devoured his fruit with swine-like qualities. He sneered at the sight. But then an interesting thought came to him. The woman would be back, she would _have _to be back. He could use this unexpected twist to his advantage. He giggled with renewed glee.

"We must not look at goblin men; we must not buy their fruits." He jumped about, "Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry, thirsty roots!" His laughter was loud and it echoed throughout his rather large estate.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, this is my first OUAT story, but I wanted to give it my all because I just couldn't help but adore the Rumbelle pairing. I hope I captured everyone as they should be. Reviews are much appreciated! ;) All this is based off the poem The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti. Enjoy!_

_~LadyB_


End file.
